This is a photo I took Dec. 2006 of the site (on the right) with a crane still in place before work was halted:

This building would also add 225,000 sq. ft. of office space downtown. The market is probably there for 225,000 but not 450,000. Most likely we could see either The Edison or Charter Square begin going up this year but maybe not both. I think we will see a bit of competition to see who can sign tenants before the shovels move. We'll see.

New 11 floor convention center hotel

Raleigh has been bidding for a new hotel adjacent to the convention center to be built on a empty city-owned lot. The proposal is for an 11 story hotel currently branded as a Residence Inn:

The long-anticipated Charter Square project has passed an important milestone on its way to completion. Following a public hearing held during its July 9 meeting, the City of Raleigh Planning Commission voted unanimously to approve the project.

The 11-story building will be constructed on top of a City-owned underground parking lot at the south end of Fayetteville St., across from the Marriott Hotel. The construction site was acquired from the City for $5.28 million in November 2008.

The new building will provide 243,379 square feet of office space and 27,875 square feet of retail space. Charter Square LLC plans include construction of the building to the United States Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum standards.

Open-space requirements will be met by an 11,500-square-foot open pedestrian plaza located to the north of the new building.

Construction is anticipated to begin in late 2013. Completion is expected within 12 months of the start date. A second building is anticipated to be constructed on the north end of the site at an undetermined date.

The SECU (State Employees Credit Union) building is nearing completion in downtown Raleigh.

Quote:

When the $45 million, 12-story building is completed in early 2013, it will have close to 76,000 square feet available for lease overlooking the state museums and government buildings along Salisbury and Jones streets.

The Salisbury Street building is expected to set a new bar for rental rates in downtown Raleigh, with rates starting at $30 a square foot. SECU is seeking gold-level LEED certification for the building based on U.S. Green Building Council guidelines.

Raleigh-based SECU, the nation’s second largest credit union with 1.7 million members and $23 billion in total assets, is building the 240,000-square-foot, glass-paneled mid-rise with money from its operations and using no debt, says SECU spokeswoman Leigh Brady.

Once complete, SECU will move about 80 of its financial advisory services employees into the building on the sixth and seventh floors.

The Bell View Hotel will be on Hillsborough Street in Raleigh, across from the NC State bell tower. It will be owned by the university. The hotel will be 7 floors and have 125 rooms with two ground floor restaurant spaces.

Way overdue for a trip up there to see what would probably blow me away since my last visit...

I used to live on the hill above Crabtree off of Edwards Mill, but haven't been back in years. I feel like I need to be at a Moral Monday event, actually.

There's a similar thing going on in the city like there is in Charlotte and Atlanta where downtown is finally starting to thrive and attract residential development. Glenwood South has become home to a lot of bars, restaurants and arts and breweries as well as restaurants have grown in the warehouse district in western downtown.

Crabtree is started to feel like a dated area. The new hot place is North Hills at I-440 and Six Forks. It is becoming like a smaller version of Atlanta's Atlantic Station.

Crank Arm is the 8th brewery to open in Raleigh, and the 3rd to open in Raleigh this year. The Triangle metro now has 22 breweries open with a handful more under construction and set to open this year.

Quote:

Co-founders Adam Eckhardt, Mike Morris and Dylan Selinger funded the venture through an online Kickstarter campaign earlier this year, during which the team raised more than $40,000 and gained nearly 500 backers.

The brewpub will offer two flagship beers - the Rickshaw Rye, a Rye India Pale Ale; and the White Wall Wit, an American Wit - with a seasonal rotation of four craft beers.

The team plans to incorporate its existing rickshaw business by taking customers on tours of the city and delivering beer to individuals, restaurants and bars in Raleigh.

Local deliveries will be made with rickshaws and what the team calls a “greasel” truck, which runs on waste vegetable oil.

I love the proposed building in Durham. It should look great on the skyline.

I thought Wake Forest University's 8-storey hotel and conference center (on the south end of Winston-Salem's downtown, away from their campus?) was the only university owned hotel in the state. Why do universities own hotels? It seems as if they would partner with a hotel near their campus for any hotel needs, rather than trying to operate their own.

I thought Wake Forest University's 8-storey hotel and conference center (on the south end of Winston-Salem's downtown, away from their campus?) was the only university owned hotel in the state. Why do universities own hotels? It seems as if they would partner with a hotel near their campus for any hotel needs, rather than trying to operate their own.

Because money I guess? The ability to offer specials to VIPs without having to pay someone else out of pocket? Not sure. I think Johnson & Wales operates the Doubletree across from campus in Charlotte but might now own it.

This hotel will be on Hillsborough Street across from NC State's bell tower. I mentioned it previously when it was just refered to as "Bell View Hotel." It looks, from my understanding, that the university may own the property but Aloft will run it. New rendering:

New apartment construction brings change, debate to Raleigh’s Cameron Village

Quote:

As two apartment buildings rise along Oberlin Road, neighboring Cameron Village is in the midst of its biggest transformation since it opened in 1949 as the first shopping center between Washington and Atlanta.

Crescent Cameron Village and 401 Oberlin are expected to open this winter, bringing 532 new apartments and more than 20,000 square feet of new shops and restaurants. The influx of new residents will bring more pedestrian activity and more nightlife to the upscale shopping district.

Rendering showing the location in the skyline of the under-construction Skyhouse apartments. The Raleigh skyline is very linear, running north and south. This will extend the skyline a little to the west: